Chasing Spring
by Becbet
Summary: Since being assigned with Selphie to a cleanup mission in Trabia, Zell has felt his patience slowly dwindling. Things only worsen when he finds there was more to this mission than anyone was telling him. Surprizes abound as Zell freezes his butt off.
1. Freezing in Trabia

[ Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII belongs to Squaresoft, not me.  But that's pretty much a given. ]

[ Notes/Warnings/Pointlessness:  Chasing Spring takes place a few months after the end of the game and may not adhere strictly to the original plotline.  If I change a few things, and it bothers you that I'm not calling this fic an AU, then I apologize.  Just…pretend it is and don't yell or throw things at me, alright? 

Currently, I have no particular pairings in mind.  I do intend for this to be sentimental…but not lemon-y sentimental.  Of course, I may change my mind about the pairing thing later on, but right now, I'm fine with implied couples and innuendo. ^_^

Other things to look out for: stupidity, Rinoa bashing, Cid bashing (If I get the chance), innuendo (mentioned previously), foul language, original characters (Oh, the horror!), and possibly long periods between new chapters.  I'm really bad about that last one so I'll try to end chapters in as few cliffhangers as possible. But…I'm already off to a bad start… *sighs* ]

**I – Freezing in Trabia**

Zell was freezing his dick off, as, he had so elegantly put it, Trabia was fucking _cold.  He bounced from foot to foot, blowing warm air into his cupped hands; icy leather brushed against his lips and Zell rubbed his palms against the rough material of his jeans.  It didn't help. _

He had forfeited his shorts and simple white tee after the first day at Selphie's beloved Trabia Garden (or what was left it) and now sported a thick pair of jeans over sweatpants and a fat parka over two other shirts.  Hobbling around the Garden, he looked like a disgruntled penguin, and had received more than his share of insults and sniggers in just the week he had been there.  To make matters worse, Selphie seemed to be getting along just fine in her normal attire (plus a light jacket and green leggings) and kept insisting that the mountain air was good for him.  Good for him…Hah! At the rate things were going, it'd be giving him an unwanted sex change in under a few hours.

Zell grumbled unhappily and stuffed his hands as deep as he could into his pockets.  It was just his luck that he'd be the one Squall chose to send along with Selphie on her "Rebuild our Fellow Garden" mission.  Sure, Zell felt bad for the homeless Trabadians, but he didn't feel that it was his responsibility to sit out in the freezing cold for days on end, lugging building material back and forth.  He wondered grudgingly why it couldn't have been Irvine in his place.  

"Zell! Quit stallin' and help me move this thing!"

The well-insulated blonde turned to the speaker.  His teeth chattered as he waddled over to Snap, the unfortunate SeeD Squall had sent to accompany them.  The kid was struggling unsuccessfully with a wing of the disassembled missile which had spent the previous months lodged in the stage for the Garden Festival.

Zell took up a corner opposite to Snap, and together, the two managed to lug the thing to the accumulated pile of scrap which was steadily building on the basketball court.  They flung the wing carelessly to the top of the pile, almost triggering an avalanche of debris.  

"Well, that's done," Snap said happily, making a show of dusting off his hands.  "Now we've just got the body and second wing.  Think you can manage, Dincht?"

Zell mumbled something noncommittally and followed after the younger SeeD. 

Night approached as sluggishly as Zell had worked, almost seeming to crawl, fatigued, over the mountains surrounding Trabia, and heave itself up suddenly, knocking the sun all the way back to Balamb.  Zell was just awaiting unconsciousness when Selphie called him to her quarters.  She had been assigned the task of Party leader and was taking the whole thing entirely too seriously.  She had sent the eager Snap with her summons and he hadn't left Zell in peace until the martial artist was fully awake, dressed, and just about pissed enough to pummel the young cadet to within an inch of his life.

The mismatched duo hurried down the frozen corridors of the sleeping Garden.  Wisps of chilled mountain air slipped by them through cracks in the less-than-sturdy foundation.  Zell wrapped his arms around his middle and quickened his step; the sooner he reached a heated chamber, the better.

Snap was chattering on about one thing or another (_Most likely SeeD ethics or some shit_, Zell thought bitterly) and didn't even slow down when they reached Selphie's door; Snap's witless monologue trailed behind them into the room.

Upon entering, Zell stopped abruptly in the threshold, causing Snap to collide ungainly with his back when he turned from closing the door.  "What are you doing, Dincht?" he demanded, rubbing his nose. 

Zell's first thought upon meeting the young cadet had been delight that Snap was shorter than he was, only coming up to his shoulder. Zell found it increasingly amusing to tease Snap about his height.  Now, however, Zell was at a loss for witty insults, stunned by the appearance of Selphie's quarters.

The young martial artist had never seen such a horrendous state of disarray:  books, papers, clothes, and even pink fuzzy bunny slippers had been strewn about in amazing disregard.  Zell, who had only moments before considered himself the epitome of disorder, found himself gaping in awe of the tremendous mess. (_Was that a lamp shade preventing the rotations of the ceiling fan?_)  He found it hard to believe a single human could accomplish this.

"Captain?" Snap ventured timidly, for once at a loss for words.

"Zell!" 

The two men balked at the shrill exclamation from the connecting room and shuffled backwards as Selphie came into view, appearing suddenly deadly in her bright yellow pajama pants and smiley face T-shirt.

"Uhh…Selphie?" Zell questioned, backed almost completely against Snap.  Feeling the younger man squirm in discomfort, he stepped forward, sidestepping the ruins of a bedside table.

Selphie grinned disconcertingly, strolling forward to take Zell by the hand and drag him into the connecting room.  The martial artist spared Snap a final glance.  The younger SeeD flashed him a sign of luck and retreated hurriedly.  Zell gulped nervously and turned to face Selphie.

The skinny brunette was pacing amidst the mess of her makeshift study.  For the most part, this room had been spared the fate of its brother.  She chewed unnervingly at her thumbnail as she pivoted, walked, pivoted again, the three curls of her hair bouncing comically.

"Zell," she said at last. "We have a problem."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she echoed, still pacing, "See…I was supposed to watch this thing…And I kinda lost the thing…And now the thing might be loose."

"Thing?" Zell didn't like where this was headed.

Selphie continued, as if she hadn't heard him.  "The crews found it outside the orphanage, where Ultimecia's castle had floated.  They gave to Cid, and Cid gave it to Squall when he took over." Selphie was pacing faster now, her curls whipping about her face with a sharp swishing sound.  "And Squall gave it to me to take to this woman Bayrer or Barbelle or something but I couldn't _find the woman and now the thing's gone __missing and Squall warned me not to let it go cause he said it was __important and I'm gonna be in really really _really_ big trouble if we don't find it before Squall's next call!"  Selphie paused to take a deep breath, her face had started turning blue._

"Selphie…What _is it?" Zell asked, feeling very ill-at-ease. _

The petite SeeD froze mid-pace and turned to the blonde. "It was…uhm…" she scrunched up her face in her attempt to remember.  "Actually, I don't know.  Squall never told me what it was.  I think that's why he wanted me to see that Barbie woman."

"But…I mean…What did it look like?" Zell mentally prepared himself for something horrible.  Like a weapon of mass destruction, or a contagion that could turn the whole of mankind into sniveling mushroom-like creatures. Zell's mind strayed briefly to what it would be like to actually _be a mushroom before returning to its original ponderings.  _

"Oh," Selphie said, matter-of-factly, "Kinda like a bunny.  Or a squirrel, maybe."

Zell's bottom jaw dropped soundlessly.  "You mean it's _alive?"  The last word echoed ominously around the room._

"Of course it is, silly!  How else could it escape?"


	2. Nessel's Crag

[ Disclaimer: (Though I don't think these are really necessary after the first chapter…) FF8 still doesn't belong to me, just in case you were wondering. ]

[ Notes/Etc.: Something I forgot to warn about in the first chapter...Spoilers.  If you don't like, then stay away.  Another warning: I change POV in this chappie.  Sorry to those easily confused, but I really had intended this to be a Seifer-Zell confrontation fic.  Mostly because they interest me.  Also, I really really like writing from their POVs.  Especially Zell.  They're some of my favorite characters to write. 

One more thing: I'm almost 99.9% certain that I got the names of the monsters right.  I haven't played FF8 in a while and I'm too lazy to look anything up, so I just went with the names I thought were correct.  But I really am curious if I was right in my guessing.  If anyone knows, right or wrong, inform me in a review or email. Thanks. ]

**II – Nessel's Crag**

Seifer Almasy mumbled something that could vaguely pass as gratitude and stepped directly from the old farmer's truck into a steaming pile of shit.  He was not pleased, and immediately voiced this displeasure. The farmer waved a goodbye to the hitchhiker and chuckled to himself as he drove off, obscenities echoing behind him.

His tirade dwindling to a stop, Seifer looked about him.  He took in the empty dirt road, muddy snow piled in clumps on either side of it, the retreating pickup that had bore him across miles and miles of similar landscapes.  Seifer tugged his pack back over his shoulder and vaulted the decaying fence separating him from a stinking heard of Mesmerizes.  The equine beasts, quite harmless after years of domestication and the removal of their horns, snorted lazily on either side of him.  Seifer watched in disgusted silence as the cause of his earlier misfortune ate and shat and slept in huddled masses on the frozen terrain.  He wondered to himself who in their right mind would raise such a worthless animal as livestock.  Sure, he allowed, their horns were useful, but the beasts couldn't grow them back.  And nothing, in Seifer's opinion, could be attained from these creatures that actually warranted the care given to their stinking, matted carcasses.

As far as he knew, (Seifer continued on this train of thought, having nothing better to direct his attentions to) the people that lived this far north hunted Snowlions.  A skillful hunter could easily down one of the monstrous beasts and sell it for a hefty price to one of the scattered villages, which would in turn skin and gut the thing and sell off its various parts to merchants.  Seifer also knew, or rather inferred, that those living closer to the coast would get their sustenance from the sea.  That was simply how things worked.  Mesmerizes shouldn't have had to be raised as cattle and left to themselves to shit where Seifer walked.

The tall blonde continued his musings until he reached the end of the Mesmerize field.  From there, he'd have to cross unknown lengths of forest before finally hitting a stretch of road that would take him directly to the nearest drop of civilization; a small mining town the farmer had said was called Nessel's Crag.  The farmer had happily divulged to Seifer the history of the small town.  How it had sprung up a few years ago when some lucky bastard had stumbled upon a strong vein of nectyte, the raw form of Energy Crystals.  One by one, treasure hunters and opportunity seekers alike had settled the wilderness surrounding the mine.  Eventually, the town had grown into a well-built community that hung somewhere between developing and stagnant.

Seifer sighed, dreading the long walk through the cold and snow, and crossed the ice-hung fence that separated him from the slightly intimidating pine trees.

Seifer dozed uncomfortably beside a fading fire.  Droplets from melting icicles tumbled harmlessly into his hair and dribbled down the side of his face.  With an unconscious gesture every few moments, Seifer wiped at the little wet trails on his cheek.  Above him, night birds twittered uncertainly, uneasy with the sleeping human so close.  Nameless creatures came and went as the night gradually drained from the sky.  A few hours from dawn, the last vestiges of Seifer's fire went out, and the cold quickly closed in around the little clearing, worming its way through the fibers of Seifer's clothes and stinging his skin.

He woke soon after, the bite of the cold and wind quickly dragging him into awareness.  Even though he had been careful to situate himself on his small pack of clothes, the chill from the permafrost he had slept over had still managed to seep into his flesh.  His butt was thoroughly numb.

Seifer cursed his constant misfortune and readied himself to leave.  He was hungry, tired, and stunk of days of travel.  His head pounded with a growing ache and he was having a hard time believing his extremities were still attached.  His uncertainty grew until he finally succumbed to looking and found that, yes, everything was still present and accounted for.  Seifer fervently hoped the cold wouldn't give him permanent shrinkage and plowed noisily through the woods, swatting snow-dusted branches out of his way and hissing obscenities every time he slipped on the slick ground.

The day waned slowly from his sight as Seifer approached a mass of bituminous buildings that could only be Nessel's Crag.  It was larger than he'd pictured, and more run-down.  On the very edges of the town, crumbling ruins huddled together, leaning against each other for support.  Behind them rose dark structures covered in a sheet of wet snow that glinted sharply in the sunset. Smoke billowed thickly above slanted rooftops, as imposing as any storm cloud.  Stepping across the town's outer boundary, Seifer felt the air suddenly thicken.  When he swallowed, he could almost feel the grime from the polluted air cling to the sides of his throat.  He had almost forgotten what it was like in civilization; it was a bitter remembrance.

Seifer walked down a mostly deserted main street, catching curious glances as he went.  On either side of him stood an outward semicircle of squat buildings, interspersed with newer, taller complexes, presumably apartments.  There were few automobiles; most walked or rode bicycles.  Seifer spotted an occasional cart pulled by a weary team of Mesmerizes, but there were so few of them that he couldn't credit transportation as the reason for the field on the other side of the woods.  

Eventually, Seifer came to a stop in front of a flashing _Vacancy sign.  The building behind it was identical to the others, average in appearance and size.  It was only a few stories, and Seifer deemed it sound enough, mounting the ice-covered steps and tugging open the weathered door, grimacing as paint chips fell off in his hand.  _

The transition from outside to inside wasn't by far dramatic, but after two days in freezing temperatures, Seifer was more than qualified to tell the difference.  The whir of a window-mounted heater buzzed in his ears, the sound almost magical, and he was submerged in a stale draft of warm air.  As the coldness ebbed, Seifer felt his skin begin to tingle as heat gradually returned to it.  He uttered an over-dramatized sigh of relief and approached the mass of wrinkles at the counter across from him.  

"I'd like a room," he said gruffly, his voice sounding unused in his own ears.  

"Yeah?" murmured the old woman (Seifer presumed it was a woman).  She settled back in her wooden chair, the thing creaked pitifully as her girth shifted.  She was chewing noisily, her great wrinkled cheeks moving grotesquely as she did so.  "We got a room," she said, spitting a dripping black stream into a tin at her feet.  

Seifer grimaced as the woman wiped a trail of spittle from her chin.  "How much?" he asked at last, loath to be breathing the same air as this woman, lest some disgusting contagion leak from her pores into him.

"D'pends," she said, chewing away, "on how long yer stayin'."

"I don't know yet," he mumbled stiffly, fidgeting uneasily under her unwavering, squinting gaze.  

"Well," she shifted again, and Seifer could've sworn that the whole building groaned with the chair this time. "I suppose you can stay for 350 for the week, after that, it's 50 gil a night."

Seifer nodded his approval.  The price was reasonable, but hopefully he wouldn't have to stay that long.  "When do I pay you?"

The woman seemed to consider this.  Her eyes were hidden for a moment by quivering layers of fat as she squinted harder in thought.  Her lips came together in a severe line, momentarily making her cheeks puff out farther, she scratched at her stubbled chin.  Then, all at once, she seemed to deflate, her cheeks going slack and her eyes popping without sound from the recesses of her flab.  "You can pay when you leave.  It's not every day we get some pretty fellow like you in here.  You really brighten up the place."  She gave him what resembled a wink and smiled in toothless mirth, her black wad of tobacco bulging against her bottom lip.

Seifer nodded again, quickly, like a twitch, and took the proffered key from the fat woman's hand.  The thing was greasy, and slick in his gloved fingers, and he nearly dropped it. She told him the room number and he scurried, there was no other word for it, up the stairs.  The woman's meaty chuckle followed his hasty ascent. 

The room was small, dirty, and smelled like something dead.  The single window, directly across from Seifer, was curtainless, and smeared with accumulated grime.  Seifer could only just tell that it was snowing outside.  A few feet from the doorway was a single bed, remarkably clean.  He sat on it experimentally, disconcerted by the tremulous creak it made; he could actually feel it as the springs compressed under his weight.  The thing was old, but at least it wasn't covered in filth.  Seifer tossed his battered pack of clothes at a chair across the room.  He missed; the bag landed on the floor in a small, pitiful heap.  Seifer sighed and leaned back on the bed, hoping, as a change of pace, to get a full night's sleep.

Of course, this was yet another thing impossible to the young blonde.  His sleep was fractured by sudden bouts of awareness whenever his tumultuous thoughts reached a climax.  He found himself waking, at times, to clouded thoughts of Edea, or Ultimecia, and lapses of time he couldn't remember.  Then again, sometimes when he woke it was Fuijin or Raijin's name on his lips, and he was able to lull himself back into unconsciousness only by thinking of better times with them.  And once, sometime deep into the night, Seifer woke, puzzled by the Mesmerize field.  

But everything, with the exception of the Mesmerizes, led back to Seifer's self-imposed exile and his lonely trek across the mountainous region north of Trabia.  He couldn't pinpoint why he had chosen this particular continent to isolate himself to, but he suspected the reason lay deep in his unconscious, and would plague him until one night, when he was too drunk to even remember his name, it'd spring itself at him and startle him off his barstool.   

Admitting defeat, Seifer sighed, pocketed the room key, and left; thankful that his rotund admirer and retired to her own quarters.  Outside, a fresh layer of snow carpeted the ground, and Seifer made his crunching way to the end of the street, finally coming to a stop where the road merged with a slender mountain path.  From where he stood, Seifer could see the lights illuminating the mouth of the nectyte mine. They glowed eerily in the pre-dawn quiet.

Walking with his eyes on his feet and his hands in his pockets, Seifer made his slow way to the very edge of the town.  Caught between stray beams of light from both the mine and the buildings behind him, Seifer looked up at the sky.  Like a seething mass of celestial soup, dark clouds rolled over each other, alternately hiding and revealing a few scattered stars.  The wind picked up, carrying with it bits of snow blown from trees and rooftops that caught in Seifer's hair and eyelashes.  He blinked the bits of ice away, closing his eyes and relishing the moment of clear thought.  

Basking in the silence for just a moment more, Seifer decided that he could stay here, quite possibly longer than he had originally thought.  It was rare that he could have a break from his warring mind like this.  Since he had forsaken (Been freed from? He couldn't remember) Ultimecia's control, Seifer had been plagued by one conflicting thought after another.  At first, he had had Fujin and Raijin to help him differentiate between what had really happened and what hadn't.  But even with their reassurances, he hadn't been able to put himself at ease. And soon enough, their smiles of pity and hollow encouragements had grated on his nerves, and he had left, trying to forget all that had happened. And yet, even miles and miles away from the root of his inner turmoil, Seifer still felt smothered by it.  But here, he had found maybe three minutes of peace, which was worth all the trouble he had gone through to find it, including the Mesmerize shit.


	3. The B Woman

[ Notes/etc: Another Zell chapter.  Although I had indented for this to be more lighthearted, it seems to be turning angsty on me.  (Don't you just hate it when fics do that to you? No? Maybe it's just me…) 

I've got no new warnings for this chapter, but if anyone knows what "mogaki" really means I'll be very impressed. ^_^ ]

**III – The B Woman**

"I can't believe they didn't tell me!" Zell raged, violently stuffing a pair of boxers into his duffel bag.

Snap remained silent, picking listlessly at his fingernails.

"I mean," Zell huffed, "I'm part of the group! The Orphanage Gang! Whatever!  Why the frickin' hell would Squall leave me out?" Into the duffel bag flew a few pairs of wadded socks.

"They didn't tell me either, Zell," Snap said, conciliatory. "Maybe it's just one of those 'The less people know the better' things."

"But still," Zell continued, feeling betrayed and insulted all at once, "We all fought together, ya know?"

Snap nodded; he knew.

"It just feels…" Zell dropped his arms limply to his sides.  "I don't know.  Like they didn't trust me or somethin'."

Snap nodded glumly.  "I'm sorry, man.  The whole thing rubs me the wrong way, too.  But…There's nothing you can do about it.  Orders are orders."

"Yeah," Zell nodded, "You're right." He pulled the duffel's zipper so hard Snap thought it would break.

With their meager supplies stuffed into the back of one of Trabia's vehicles (designed specifically for travel over ice and snow), Zell and Snap waited for their Captain's arrival.  Selphie had been uncertain of what to tell Squall, but Zell had eventually swayed her that the truth was usually less complicated, and she had promptly left to contact their Commander.

After hours of feeling depressed and worthless, Zell had finally received orders that he and Snap were to set out immediately to look for the missing rabbit-squirrel-thing.  It was quickly discerned that the small creature was nowhere within the Garden's proximity, and thus had Zell and the ever-faithful Snap been commanded to search outside the facility.

"Guys!" Selphie called, running up to the bright yellow automobile. 

Zell turned off the engine (he had had the heat on) and got out of the car.  "What did he say?" he demanded curtly, still not forgiving Selphie for keeping him in the dark.

The girl seemed not to notice that anything was wrong, giving both male SeeDs a wide grin.  "Sorry boys, but the Commander wants me to stay."

"What?" Zell exclaimed, "But why? You're the one that lost the damn thing."

Selphie grimaced at this reminder.  "Yeah…I know.  But Squall thought it would be better if I stayed; for appearances, you know.  Trabia Garden doesn't know about the rabbit."

In some detached portion of his mind, Zell was finding the entire situation hilarious: Two SeeDs would be trekking across the mountains of Trabia in search of some creature whose identity was only known by a single woman. At least…as far as they knew.  Squall might be holding something else back.  And of course, this last thought was the main fixation of Zell's mind: Why had Squall lied to him?  "So it's just gonna be me and Snap?"

Selphie nodded enthusiastically. "Yup. Well…Not really. Squall gave me the location of where he thought that Beatrice woman might be."

"Might?" Zell asked skeptically.  

"Uh-huh.  I printed off a map for you," the young party leader pulled a folded sheet of paper from inside her jacket, extending it to Zell.

He snatched it from her, scowling unmercifully, and mumbled a stiff goodbye.  Snap saluted his captain and followed Zell into the car.  Selphie waved happily as they drove off; chunks of ice and snow jettisoned out from under chained tires.

Zell drove in silence, with pursed lips and fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel.  Snap, mercifully, had fallen asleep almost instantly and was snoring softly to Zell's right, his breath fogging up the passenger side window.  

The heater was on as high as it could go, but Zell still couldn't get warm enough.  Chills raced over his skin as he cleared one snow dune after another.  White clumps began to gather at the edges of the windshield and not even the extended wipers could get rid of them.  Zell had the defrost on, too, but it wasn't helping either.  He knew that, sooner or later, he'd have to get out and manually clean off the windshield.  It was a daunting prospect.  Maybe if Snap was up by then he could convince him to do it.

Selphie's map claimed that the woman they were looking for lived a few miles north of Trabia Garden, in a small cabin nestled between two stretches of crags.  In this landscape of consuming white, Zell doubted he'd be able to find it; or even if he did, that she'd be there.  

Time, the weather, and just about everything else seemed to be against them, and Zell was sick of it.  He kept thinking to himself how he'd much rather be back at his own Garden, sweating rivers in the Training Center, sleeping on a bench in the Quad, or depleting the hot dog supply.  His fantasy trailed off, wandering around the corridors of Garden, the streets of Balamb, until it eventually ran into Squall, cupping his hands against Selphie's ear and whispering a secret between them.  Zell grit his teeth.  He knew he was being childish, and a small part of himself chided that he was just jealous.  And that _was_ a tiny part of it, but nothing more.  Was Snap right? Had Squall felt it would be safer if only the party leader knew?  If that was the case, Zell couldn't be mad at either of them.  Selphie, having been appointed the role due to her connections in Trabia, was only doing what she was asked, and Squall was doing what he thought best.  But Zell still felt stung.  It wasn't like he'd blab their secret to anyone.  That had only happened once and… Zell slammed on the brakes, catapulting Snap as far as his seatbelt would allow, and waking him instantly.  The poor SeeD looked around in panic before turning to Zell, demanding to know what had happened.

Zell didn't hear him, his lips were pursed in a grim line and his eyes blazed with emotion.  Was _that_ why they hadn't told him anything? Because of what had happened in Timber?  He had been so mad then, Seifer always caused him to loose his temper, and he just hadn't been thinking.  But that was only once. _Once! They couldn't still be holding that against him… Could they?_

Snap was shaking him, asking him over and over again what was wrong.

"I'm fine," Zell whispered, running his fingers through his hair. "I was just thinking. Can…Can you go out and clean off the windshield?" 

"Sure," Snap started to open his door, pausing suddenly and turning to Zell.  "You really okay? You look kinda sick."

"Yeah, yeah; I'm great.  Just fix the windshield so we can leave."

Snap needed no further assurances; with a final nod he hopped out into the snow and walked around to the front of the car, the wind blowing his short brown hair about his round face.

"Hey, look! I think that's it!" Snap was pointing wildly to the very leftmost corner of the windshield, where a spiraling cloud of smoke could vaguely be discerned.

Zell nodded and turned sharply in that direction, plowing through pile after pile of snow. Waves of white splashed up around them as they got closer to the smoke.  A shape identifiable as a house came into view around a bulging slab of rock.

Zell parked the car next to a snow-covered pickup, pocketed the keys, and jogged with Snap up to the front door.  He knocked loudly on the wood, causing little chunks of ice to cascade down and gather at his feet. The two SeeDs waited in silence until a slender, middle-aged woman opened the door.  

"Can I help you?" she asked timidly, obviously unsettled by their presence.

Zell, hoping his luck would hold out, took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, actually, we really do need your help with something."

"Oh?" she said, startled.  "Well, I guess you should both come on in, then; it's freezing out here."  To better accentuate her point, she pulled her shawl more tightly about her shoulders, and turned to lead them into a brightly-lit living room.

The place was small, and cozy, and reminded Zell of his mother; how everything had its place, even if that meant piles of toppled magazines in corners and childhood paraphernalia tacked to walls and scattered on shelves.  It was far from tidy, but it was _human, and not one of those rooms that looked like it was torn straight from a catalogue.  Zell felt calmed by the almost-familiar surroundings, and smiled in gratitude as he looked around him.  _

"Here," said the woman, gesticulating to a well-worn couch with a comfortable-looking quilt folded over the back. "You two have a seat while I get you some tea," she had already started moving, turning her back on them and strolling into the kitchen, her soft-spoken words trailing behind her. "I just set it out to boil before you knocked and couldn't possibly drink it all myself." Zell could make out the chinking of china.  "So it's lucky that you two stopped by when you did, otherwise I'd have had to pour it all down the drain." The woman reappeared, skillfully carrying three steaming cups.  She was tall; Zell only came up to her chin, and wore a loose-sleeved shirt over a pair of old jeans.  A few silver bracelets jingled on her wrists, among them a heavy-looking man's watch.  She wore slender-framed glasses, and her white-streaked, once-black hair had been pulled back loosely; free curls tumbled over her shoulders as she leaned down to give first Zell, then Snap, their tea.  She smiled warmly at them before settling herself in an over-stuffed recliner.

"So, what brings you boys all the way out here?"

Zell returned her smile, instantly liking this woman; she reminded him of Matron, with bits of his mother scattered here and there.  "I'm Zell, ma'am, Zell Dincht.  And this," he gestured at Snap with his thumb, "is Jhet Canta."

"Call me Snap," Snap said, shooting Zell a discreet look of disapproval.  For some undisclosed reason, he didn't like people knowing his real name.  Zell speculated that it had something to do with his parents.

"It's nice to meet both of you.  I'm Dr. Cath Bardell," she held out her hand for Zell and Snap to shake.  "Continue, please."

Zell nodded, and picked up his interrupted train of thought. "Y'see, we're both SeeDs, and our Commander found this…uhm…thing, and he was told that'd you'd be able to tell us what it is."

"Well, I'll try my best. Do you have it with you?"

"Uhm…" Zell picked at a loose thread in his sleeve, "No…That's part of the problem.  It…uh…It kinda escaped."

"It's alive?" murmured Bardell, leaning forward in her chair.

Zell nodded. "Yeah.  We were hoping you'd be able to help us track it."

"Oh…" Bardell seemed to be at a loss for words. "Well…I'll give it my best shot. Uhm…Do you have a…a description of the…uhm…thing?"

"Yeah.  I was told it looks like a cross between a rabbit and a squirrel."

"Oh, my," Bardell whispered, her eyes widening in surprise.  "That sounds very much like a mogaki, but where in the world would you have found it?"

"Well," Zell fidgeted, glancing quickly to Snap, who nodded for him to continue.  Zell exhaled loudly, his great gust of breath rippling through Bardell's loose hair. "You…wouldn't have heard of time compression, would you?"


	4. Miners, Beer, and Fried Fish

[ Notes/etc.: I wanted to thank Final Fantasy Online and Split Infinity for his (her?) monster guide.  Both have helped me sort out the few monster problems I've been having.  I'm happy to say my memory served me correctly. (For the most part…)

Also, I wanted to mention that Seifer-time is a few days or so behind Zell-time.  So what you actually read in chapter two took place about a week before Selphie looses the mogaki.  The two time periods catch up to each other in this chapter, but I still thought it was worth mentioning. Sorry if this causes anyone confusion, but it just happened spastically and I didn't feel like changing it. Whoops…

On another note, I wanted to apologize for Rosso.  He just kinda created himself and I didn't have the heart to get rid of him.  Thus, he takes up a bunch of time I could have spent furthering the plot.  Sorry about that, but I've decided he can forward the action later on, so all is not lost. 

And, to Verdanii (Thanks for reviewing! ^_^) and the few others that care, mogaki actually means 'life.'  I have my limited and often selective knowledge of Japanese to thank for this. ]

**IV – Miners, Beer and Fried Fish**

Seifer was not having a good day: the heater had been broken for three days straight and Kantell, the obese owner of the building, hadn't found anyone to fix it.  Using his own limited knowledge, Seifer had tried to mend the thing himself, but had only ended up getting covered in grease and cutting his thumb on a jagged strip of metal hanging precariously underneath the heater. To make matters worse, his new job had started merely two hours ago and he was already sick of it. 

All he had to do was baby-sit a few miners while they piddled around the nectyte caves and fight off any monsters that strayed too close.  Apparently, the mines had never reached optimum production because of the pesky beasts.  Caves-ins and gas leaks were nothing compared to a few hungry Blue Dragons.

But so far, Seifer had yet to encounter anything more deadly than a pair of wandering Bite Bugs.  He _was_ getting paid though, so Seifer hung around, dutifully shadowing the miners like a lost Junior Classman.

The men, and occasional woman, talked amongst themselves of spouses, the weather, and the personal business of their neighbors.  Seifer ignored them; as it were, few spoke to him directly.  Instead, he settled himself on top on an upturned barrel, leaned back against the slick wall of the cave, and watched his charges work:

The miners moved, surprisingly, quickly and efficiently, shouting instructions that fractured their senseless conversations.  They worked at the walls of the mine with pick axes, scintillas of nectyte shimmering to the ground by their feet, gathering with the discarded rock.  Other workers transported the product; the combined load of rock and priceless crystal was dumped into various mechanical sorters.  The unsightly metal protuberances did their jobs as effectively as their human counterparts, humming a sharp, clanking tune as they separated the loads.

Crates of pure nectyte were loaded onto the backs of trucks and driven to one of Nessel's three processing plants; there, it would be skillfully worked into Energy Crystals.

Wheelbarrow loads of rock detritus were discarded in piles outside the mine.  The frozen hills of brown earth towered well over the workers' heads, and little avalanches of icy chunks cascaded down whenever a strong wind blew.

The whole process resembled a giant machine; each pair of calloused hands just as important to the whole as the gears within the sorters.  Every individual became suddenly smaller, laboriously striving to meet the day's quota. Groans and clashes, and the metallic clank of machines droned and echoed off the concave walls.

Seifer watched with a bored detachment, wondering to himself how much longer he'd have to wait like this.  Despite the cold, he removed his right glove, rubbing his healing thumb in an unconscious movement.  The small, deep cut trailed diagonally across his soft flesh.  A rough scab puckered out, surrounded by irritated, pink skin.  Seifer tried to scratch at the wound without opening it.  Small tears of blood oozed from ruptures in the scab.  Seifer glared at his thumb, trembling in the cold, before popping the digit into his mouth, sucking noisily.  A nondescript miner stared curiously as he passed.  Seifer turned his glare to the passerby and grunted around his thumb; his empty glove lay forgotten on his thigh.  

The man went on about his business and Seifer picked up his glove with his left hand, propping his right heel up on the opposite knee, and replacing the glove.  Finally removing his thumb from his mouth, Seifer scrutinized the wound.  The minute bleeding had stopped but the scab had softened and looked as if a brush against anything would remove it.  The disgruntled blonde snorted softly and laid his wounded hand on his lap, clutching the glove in its non-opposable digits.

The hours passed slowly, and Seifer's back grew cold against the rock wall.  He had gotten up to stretch a few times previously but had decided that the effort of getting comfortable again wasn't worth it and had just decided to remain stationary until it was time to leave.  

Some time around noon, a skinny little man in overalls and an ugly wool sweater with a big nose and hairy ears had brought Seifer a sandwich and had sat with him, only attempting once or twice to make conversation, during the lunch break.   Seifer had only thanked him for the sandwich before he left, and the man had offered him a smile, a name, and a dry, gnarled hand (the tall blonde had been surprised the other wasn't wearing gloves, but had shook the hand anyway, emotionlessly stating his own name).

Rosso Begn, as the miner called himself, stammered a quick excuse of having to get back to work, but nevertheless invited Seifer to come talk some more over dinner.  Perking up at the mention of a free meal, Seifer had agreed, mentally questioning his decision. The tall, bony man had scurried back to his gems and frozen dirt, bubbling with excitement over the prospect of a dinner guest.

Seifer sighed and told himself to be patient before going back to picking at his thumb.

As it turned out, Rosso's shift ended late, just when Seifer was finally allowed to go home.  Cold, irritable, and hungry, he followed the older man out to his truck, climbing in the passenger side and rubbing his palms together to warm them (he had put his glove back on).  Rosso started the truck and drove up the hill, chatting pointlessly about the mines, himself, and any stray thought that crossed his mind.

Seifer mentally prodded himself to keep his mouth shut; the man was offering him free food, something he couldn't afford to pass up.  Sure, he had a job now, but he also had to save up every bit of gil he could get his hands on.  He was determined to find a more permanent residence as soon as possible.

Rosso parked his truck beside four walls of beaten-down wood inlaid with tin. The small 'house' lay on the outskirts of town, somewhere in that no-man's land of crossed light that Seifer had strayed into a few nights prior.  The miner unlocked the front door (though Seifer doubted there'd be anything inside that warranted someone breaking in) and gestured for his guest to enter before him.  Seifer obliged, sniffing curiously as he set foot in the darkened room.  

"Hold on a minute and I'll light some of th' lamps," Rosso said, brushing past Seifer farther into the house.

Seifer stood in place, his arms folded over his chest, until one, two, and then three gas lamps were lit.  The insubstantial light flickered wanly across the warped and water-marked walls; streaks of dirty light just barely brushed the ceiling.  A small, cluttered space stretched into view before the young blonde.  The four corners of the room were filled with their own respective mass of garbage: To the direct left of Seifer rose dusty towers of magazines and newspapers, torn out articles and discarded paperbacks. To his right stood a rotting, wooden chair, a jacket hung over it's back and various pairs of boots littering the floor around it.  Against the wall across from him was a dingy sofa, covered with piles of folded clothes and blankets.  Beside it was a simple doorway leading off into another room shrouded in darkness.  Rosso had already disappeared into it.

"Nice place," Seifer mumbled sarcastically, toeing at a suspicious burlap sack covering a definite square shape.    

By the time he had revealed the crate under the sack, Rosso had returned, smiling uneasily and ushering Seifer into the next room.  Not once did he offer any excuse for the mess, and Seifer said nothing further, glad that no one he knew was around to see his uncharacteristic good behavior.  

Rosso led him into a small kitchen (another room led off to the left, Seifer presumed it was the bedroom) and seated him at a remarkably clutter-free table.  "I was thinking of just frying up some fish, if that's all right with you."

Seifer shrugged. "It's fine."  The truth was, Seifer was more than pleased; a hot meal was something he hadn't enjoyed in some time.  For the past week, he had been living off cold sandwiches and junk food bought from the snack machine in the downstairs lobby.  Even if Begn sucked at cooking, Seifer figured it'd still be better than a bag of peanuts and Choco Jellies (however much he liked Choco Jellies).

"So how'd a young man like you end up all the way out here?" Rosso asked, his back to Seifer as he dug around in the freezer for supper.  "I mean, it seems like you could've found more opportunities in Galbadia.  Or Dollet, even." 

"Maybe I just like the snow," Seifer replied stiffly, badly wanting to scratch his cut thumb.

Rosso laughed to himself.  "Or maybe you already tried that."  The lanky miner had retrieved the fish and was preparing a frying pan, pouring a decent amount of vegetable oil into its currently un-sizzling depression.  "Truth is, I was more than a bit curious as to why someone like you would show up here.  Place doesn't seem to fit you, really."

Seifer blandly noted his host's annoying habit of leaving off 'the' at the beginning of his sentences.  "I just ended up here," Seifer grumbled, hoping the man would take the hint and leave him alone. "It wasn't a goal of mine or anything. Believe me, there are thousands of other locals I would much rather be."

Nonplussed, Rosso continued, leaning back against the stove and facing Seifer.  "You…uh…You out here looking for your girl, or something?"

Seifer laughed; the sound sharp and not entirely unlike a bark.  "Like hell!  Who do you think I came up here to find? Kantell?"

The miner chuckled.  "I should hope that isn't the case.  If 'twere, I'd be reconsidering your sanity.  Or at least your eyesight."

"Fuck eyesight, man!  I'd have to be deaf, brain-dead, and completely without a sense of smell to stomach a relationship with that woman!"

"So, a rock, basically?"

Seifer laughed again, the sound genuine this time.  Begn wasn't so bad, Seifer conceded, looking the man over in a new light.  He had thought he'd have to suffer through a night with this man to save a couple of bucks.  Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

It was late, and temperatures were below freezing, but Seifer was in a better mood than he had been since before his final SeeD exam.  The fish had been wonderful, soft and melting on his tongue, and Begn had turned out to be a great host.  Despite his bumbling appearance earlier, Seifer found himself actually starting to like the man.  He knew nothing about him, really, but he was interesting company, and one hell of a cook.

"How long have you been out here?" Seifer asked, swallowing the last of his beer.  He shook the can sourly, hoping to hear a few final drops sloshing around.  Noticing his dilemma, Rosso retrieved him another can from the 'fridge before answering.

"Oh, I've lived here since Nessel's was founded.  I came down from Tarrok. (That's even farther north, you know.  Only a few miles away from that Shumi place.  Quiet lot, that.)  An' before that, I lived way down at FH.  I was a mechanic before I came up here.  Not very good at it, though.  That's why I left."

Seifer could tell from the man's tone that that wasn't the reason he had left, but he held his tongue, content to just sit, listen, and drink the older man's beer.

"But I guess I've lived in Trabia for…hmm…twelve years now," Rosso said, scratching at his unshaven chin.  "But how 'bout you? Where did you live before Trabia?"

Seifer stretched, titling his chair as far backwards as it would go without tipping over and popping the kinks out of his neck.  "Balamb," he said eventually, hoping the miner wouldn't connect the port town with his name.  "After that…well…I've been all over."

Rosso nodded, taking a sip of his beer (he preferred his in a chipped coffee mug; something Seifer hadn't questioned, simply taken it in stride).  "I always wanted to travel," he said.  "Gettin' too old now, though.  'Sides, I never seem to have enough money."

"That's something I understand perfectly, my friend.  Gil is as hard to come by as a skinny dipper this side of Garden."

Rosso chuckled, shaking his grey head.  "Have you always been this funny? Or is it something the cold brings out in you?"

"I'd like to agree with the former, but I seem to be having trouble remembering that far back," Seifer seemed oblivious to this slip, happy to just take the discreetly offered beer can from Begn and settle back into his chair.

The miner eyed him curiously for a few moments before getting to his feet.  He stretched his tired muscles and glanced at his greasy clock.  The time read ten after one.  "I hate to send you home like this, but I've gotta be up in five hours and I presume you do, too."

Seifer nodded, downing as much of the new can as possible before getting to his feet, rubbing his hands together to dispel some of the chill he'd picked up from the aluminum.  "Yeah.  Besides, Kantell will be getting worried if I'm not back soon," he grinned mercilessly.

Rosso just offered him his same, tired grin.  "G'night, Seifer.  I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yep, bright and early.  Thanks for the fish," Seifer gave the man a half-hearted wave and departed for the cold outside.

Still lost in his good mood, Seifer strolled into town.  His gloved hands rested warmly in his pockets and his eyes were on the heavens.  The sky was clear tonight; cold and unmerciful and sprinkled with stars.  He was halfway to the inn when a stray sound caught his ears.  It was soft, and at first he thought it was just the wind until it repeated itself.  The noise was that of a small child; tiny and mewling and so pathetic that Seifer's first thought was, _Oh, Hyne, someone's left a _baby_ out here!_

He stopped in his tracks, closing his eyes and listening a third time for the sound.  It came from the gutter a few feet in front of him.  Steeling himself, Seifer took a deep breath and slid to his stomach on the dirty snow, jutting his injured hand into the dark maw of the gutter.  He groped blindly, hoping senselessly to grab a hold of the crying child.  Curiously, the sound stopped, and Seifer was about to give up when two sets of claws sunk through the material of his glove, thankfully missing the cut on his thumb.  He held his breath, imagining some diseased rat attached to his hand, contemplating the best place to bite.  Slowly, so as not to startle it, he withdrew his arm, lifting it up into the street-light and stinging wind.

"What the…?"

The small, rabbit-like creature cooed at him and craned its neck, licking at the hand it was hanging from.  Its round, dark eyes glinted intelligently as it released its hold and dropped to the snow in front of a very dumb-struck Seifer, charging immediately for his exposed crotch.

Seifer tensed, grabbing too late for the strange creature.  Luckily for him, the critter jumped up onto his leg, and scurried inside his coat, clinging helplessly to his shirt and nuzzling against him for warmth.

Wanting to fling the creature from him, but lacking the heart to do it, Seifer looked down at his strange new charge, his lips turning in disgust at its sickening cuteness.

"Ahh…Dammit…"


	5. Tunnels

[ Notes/etc: I've got a slight warning for this chapter.  Because of my tendency to simply _stop_ writing whenever I feel like I've reached a good ending, Seifer's a little OCC.  I had intended to explain _why_ I think he'd really be acting like he is in this situation, but I found a good place to stop and I did; having not extended the chapter enough to explain my reasoning.  Nevertheless, it's a long and eventful chapter with…_nudity_!! Woo! ]

**V – Tunnels**

Zell leaned back into the couch, rotating his neck in a smooth circle to pop out the kinks. As it turned out, he had required Snap's help to explain some of time compression's more technical aspects.  Zell had really only tried to understand the basics; knowing that whatever Ultimecia had planned was a bad thing, and that he would stop her, regardless of her nefarious tactics.

But Bardell hadn't really needed such a thorough explanation.  Even after Zell's mangled description of time compression, the woman would have been able to theorize (correctly) the rest of the process.

"And you found the mogaki after time separated, correct?" Bardell asked, seeming to enjoy the conversation entirely too much.

"Yes," Zell answered, beginning to feel just a little uncomfortable.  Their host's motherly charm had dissipated the moment the rabbit-creature had been mentioned.

Bardell twisted a lock of her hair around her finger as she thought.  "This is actually not that hard to explain," she said at last.  "See, mogaki can't reproduce.  They are, more-or-less, magic in its purest form."  Bardell leaned forward in her chair, eyes bright and flicking alternately from Zell to Snap.

"How do they…uhm…come to be if they can't reproduce?" Zell asked.  "Wouldn't that…uh…set the species back a little?"

Bardell laughed.  "You'd think so, wouldn't you?  But really, that's why mogaki are so rare, because of how they're born.  Their existence doesn't stem from anything biological, but rather thaumaturgical.  They…well…_pop _into being at the site of a tremendous magical discharge.  Usually you get reports of the little critters following the transfer of a sorceress' powers.  However, it sounds like your mogaki must have been birthed from the excess thaumaturgical energy left over from the re-separation of time."

"So," Snap ventured timidly, "This…mogaki thing… Is it like a GF or something?"

Bardell shook her head.  "No.  GFs are closely tied to para-magic, but their physiology isn't made from pure energy, like the mogaki.  A GF is a sentient being, in most cases hundreds of years old.  They have been living amongst, and have drawn power from, humans since long before Hyne's reign.  It is possible that at one time their power might have been as raw and untainted as the substance from which a mogaki is born."

_Like __Eden__, _Zell thought, recalling the near-terrifying power of that particular GF.

"It is inconceivable to most," Bardell continued, "that any being with a physical body can be entirely formed from magic.  So naturally, there is much disagreement between those who know of the mogaki's existence; conflicting theories and such.  However, I can see no other explanation for the mogaki's abilities."

"Abilities?" Zell questioned, fidgeting in his seat.

"Yes," Bardell answered.  She paused for a moment, playing with a lock of her hair as if unsure of how to continue.  "In a way," she said at last, "mogaki _do_ resemble GFs.  They tend to be closely tied to a certain element; earth, wind, ice, and fire being the most common.  Also, mogaki can…well…they can junction themselves to humans," the woman paused again, allowing this bit of information to sink in.

"Can they be used?  Like GFs, I mean," Snap asked, his mind trying to find some way that Garden could benefit from this.  (He was also still having a hard time stomaching the fact that a SeeD of his rank would be sent all the way out to Trabia just to play hide-and-seek with a magical rabbit.)

Bardell straightened up.  "No," she said harshly.  "Certainly not.  And you must never try to do so.  Mogaki do not junction to humans to _help_ them; they are parasites, cute and harmless as they may seem. They excel in finding humans with extraordinary magical influence.  Sorceresses, their Knights, or even para-magic adepts are sought out, junctioned, and…drained.

"You have to understand," Bardell added upon seeing the two SeeDs' distraught expressions, "mogaki do not do this with some ill-intent towards humans.  They're composed of magic so pure that not just anything will hold it together.  They seek out these hosts as a part of survival; they need them to literally keep from falling apart."

Silence filled the brightly-lit living room.  Zell sat, completely straight, with pursed lips and furrowed brow; he rubbed the knuckles of his left hand with his right.  "How…do we find this thing?"

Zell and Snap jogged down the steps of Bardell's front porch to their bright yellow car.  It had been snowing since they'd arrived and a thick layer of the annoying white stuff had to be brushed from the windshield before they could leave.

"We have to call Selphie," Zell said, sensing the impending weight of a disaster.  "We need to locate Rinoa and Edea and have Squall keep an eye on them.  I don't know how fast this thing can travel but I don't wanna take any chances."

Snap nodded, buckling his seatbelt as Zell bolted away from the small log cabin. 

"See if you can find the radio.  It's somewhere with that crap in the back."

Snap complied, having to unbuckle himself and stretch out over the gap between his seat and Zell's.  After groping blindly for a moment, Snap's fingers brushed against the cold metal of the radio and withdrew it from his and Zell's collective junk.  "Got it," he announced, swiveling around and plugging the radio into the small outlet under the dashboard.  "I'm trying for Selphie," he said, fiddling hurriedly with the dial.

~o~

_Actually, you look more like a squirrel, now that I think about it,_ Seifer thought to himself, ponderously chewing on a hangnail.

The small creature cooed softly and cocked its head at the freezing blonde towering above it.

The mogaki, though Seifer didn't know his unwanted guest was a mogaki, or even what a mogaki was for that matter, did indeed resemble a squirrel.  It sat on its reddish-brown haunches, front legs curled up against its chest, blinking its eyes innocently at Seifer.

The blonde grunted, cursing under his breath and turning away from his new—Dare he say it?—pet.  The mogaki jumped down from the bedside table Seifer had placed it on and scurried up the drooping sheet hanging from the side of the bed.  The sleepy teenager had yet to notice the inquisitive animal and was busy peeling off his various layers of clothing.  Once he was completely naked, he stretched languorously and flexed his stiff and chilled toes.  Quickly deciding he could take no more of the cold, Seifer burrowed under the formidable mound of blankets he had gathered and fitted the bed with.  He closed his eyes, sighed contentedly, and started to reach for the bedside lamp's off switch.  "Fuck," he hissed unhappily, finally noticing the shivering mass of fur perched on his blanketed stomach. 

He glared at the thing, trying his hardest to ignore the cute way it twitched its long, pointed ears.  "There's no way in hell I'm letting you sleep with me.  Now get off the damn bed."

The mogaki chirped, rubbing at its cheeks with its tiny front legs.

Seifer stared at the mogaki. 

The mogaki stared back, blinking occasionally and twitching its ears.

After a few minutes of silence only broken by the soft chirrups and coos of the little creature, Seifer caved, deciding he was entirely too cold and sleepy to argue with the critter any longer.  He pulled the chord dangling below the lamp shade and sighed into the soft, heavy darkness.

Something was tickling his nose, Seifer realized groggily, blinking his sleep-weighted eyes open.  It took a minute for him to focus his vision, but soon enough, a scowl was clinging to his features as he pushed himself up, dislodging the mogaki from its comfortable position in the crook of his neck.  Its bushy tail was what had wakened him.

The indignant ball of fur tumbled roughly onto the mattress, chittering accusatorily at him before skittering by his legs to curl into the ruffled covers.  Seifer snorted vaguely in its direction and slid out of bed, the cold buffeting his naked body.  "Shower," he mumbled, shivering his way towards the closet-sized bathroom.  

The bathroom was anything but notable: it was cramped, rusting, and leaky.  Seifer barely missed tripping over the sink as he entered.  Tugging aside the cheap, plastic shower curtain, Seifer reached for the hot water knob, turning it on as far as it would go.  For a bit of variation, he inched the cold water on just a bit and lifted the small metal tab on top of the faucet.  He rummaged in the decaying hamper for a half-decent towel (Kantell didn't provide room service and Seifer was too lazy to trek downstairs and ask her for a new one) and flung the thing onto the closed toilet lid.  Seifer was just preparing to submerge himself in the scalding spray when some interloper started knocking furiously on his door.

Seifer cursed his rotten luck, turned off the water, and ran quickly back into the main room.  He grabbed a sheet from the crumpled mass on his bed, wrapping it carelessly around his goose-bumped flesh.  The knocking resumed more frantically and Seifer stumbled over to the door, tripping over his trailing sheet.  He cursed again and yanked open the door.

Kantell stood, hand poised and ready to knock again, in the open doorway.  She was more disheveled than usual and Seifer could have sworn her flab had rearranged itself into some semblance of concern.  "There's been an accident," she said in her thick, dull voice with absolutely no trace of emotion.  "Down at the mines," she continued.  "You're needed."

It took a minute for what she had said to register, and during that minute Seifer gaped at her with barely-concealed annoyance, his face slackening as her words eventually made it to his brain.  "Monsters?" he asked finally, his cold mask of detachment righting itself on his face.

"Don't know.  Might be.  I just heard something caused a cave-in."  Kantell reached across her bulging chest to scratch at her armpit.

"Fuck," Seifer hissed, rubbing senselessly at the back of his head.  He had only started this job yesterday.  "All right.  Fine.  Tell them I'll be down as soon as I get some clothes on."  With that, he slammed the door in Kantell's face.  Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough to miss her appraising glance.  As he turned back into the room, Seifer happened to notice something odd about his sheet: it was mostly see-through.

Stepping outside, Seifer was reminded (though he still wasn't aware if this was a true memory) of the battle between Galbadia and Balamb Gardens.  The utter sense of chaos and helplessness had descended upon Nessel's Crag and driven its citizens to hysteria.

People ran in haphazard circles, screaming at one another to _do something_.  The air was thick with cries and panic as Seifer jogged through the snow.  A constant, shifting wail that seemed at times to be the air itself, grew louder the closer he drew to the mine. 

He passed through the sun-lit no-man's-land and realized bitterly that he had overslept, and that workers would have been arriving at the mine for hours. Seifer picked up his pace.  The mouth of the mine finally stretched into his vision: a gaping wound torn in the side of the earth; humans like voracious ants swarming at the orifice.

Seifer met with the tide of living bodies, pushing his way through those that sought to flee.  It took him minutes to actually reach the mouth and locate Djana, his employer.  The man was agitated and nervous, wringing his hands and simultaneously barking orders.  Upon seeing Seifer, he broke into a rueful grin and wrestled his way over to the blonde.

"I'm glad you're here.  We really need your help."

"What happened?" Seifer asked, allowing the older man to lead him into the mine.

"Cave-in," Djana said, gesturing toward the pile-up of rubble that was blocking one of the side tunnels.  "Third shift's in there.  We know that there are still people alive.  Y'can hear 'em screaming."  He shook his head.  "We've got crews eight through twelve digging at that damn wall but they're not quick enough.  What's worse, we've got reason to believe there's something locked in that tunnel with them."

"A monster," Seifer breathed, feeling as if something was constricting around his chest.

"Don't know about that," said Djana.  "It might be a Tracker gone haywire.  The things can be just as dangerous as any monster."

Seifer nodded, not feeling very reassured.  He had this fucking job for _one day_ and already he had screwed up.  If he had just woken up a few hours earlier…

"I sent word for you because I think, if we concentrate our efforts, get some heavy-duty D's in here, we could bore a hole through that wall and slip you in.  That way, you can take out whatever's been attacking them while we get third shift out."

"Fine.  Do it.  I'm ready as soon as you get that wall open."

"Good.  That's good to hear," then, to another worker, "Jimmy! Get some Diggers and crews one and two over to that wall!  We're goin' to bore straight through that thing!"

Jimmy turned out to be very proficient at following orders.  Under an hour, a man-sized hole appeared in the wall between the blocked tunnel and a neighboring one.  With Hyperion tucked securely against his side, Seifer climbed through the hole, through nearly twelve feet of solid rock, a span roughly the size of his room at Kantell's.  

Jagged ridges of rock and un-mined nectyte tore at Seifer's clothes and cut his knees and elbows.  He crawled on, cries of encouragement echoed from either side of the wall.  As soon as he was near the opening, reaching hands grabbed his coat and shoulders and helped to pull him to the other side.  Tear-stained faces smeared with dirt and snot smiled at him, telling him over and over how grateful they were.

Seifer pushed past them, ordering the workers to start evacuating.  He searched the crowd for signs of anyone with a shred of control.  Over the collective cry of the miners he heard his order being echoed.  A smallish young man with a seeping wound on his forehead was lying in a crumpled heap against the opposite wall, shouting at the frenzied workers.  A make shift splint had been tied to his leg, and he waved Seifer over as soon as he saw him.

"I can take care of things here," he said immediately.  "The others are down that way a bit.  We tried talking to them a while ago but we couldn't really make out what they were saying.  I think something's keeping them there."

"No one went after them?" Seifer asked, slightly irritated.

The man shook his head.  "We couldn't find them.  All the tunnels are blocked off.  One guy tried to slip through a while ago, but we haven't heard from him since."

"And you don't know what caused the cave-in?"

"No…it started further down and set off the whole damn tunnel."

"All right, I'll check it out.  Just get these people out of here."  Seifer didn't stay long enough to hear the man's response; he was off, his boots slapping noisily against the rock floor.

The tunnel quickly drew to a dead end.  A newly created wall reached almost up to the ceiling; a draft of humid air filtered through a man-sized hole at the top.

Seifer secured Hyperion to his belt and reached for a hand hold.  One rock at a time, he scaled the mound of rubble, shimmying through the gap.  He dropped to the ground on the other side, looking about him for signs of life.

A small stream of water dripping from the ceiling was the only sound, aside from his seemingly loud heartbeat.  Seifer continued walking, keeping an eye open for movement.  A few minutes into the tunnel he entered a junction.  Leading off in three separate directions were more paths, each as dark and identical as all the others.  The place where they met had been widened and was maybe about the size of Kantell's downstairs lobby.  The space had been filled with crates and mining equipment, but none of the missing miners were hiding amongst the apparatus.

This presented quite a problem.  The miners could be in any of the three tunnels, or even two of them, or all three…  But, if Seifer chose wrong, it was very likely that he wouldn't reach them until whatever had them trapped had…well…finished them off.

Seifer cursed, the mono-syllabic word echoed off the walls, tumbling endlessly over itself.  He was just preparing to choose the center tunnel when a cry, unsure and panicked, reached his ears.

"Help us! Oh, Hyne, whoever you are, please help us!"

The voice had come from the leftmost tunnel; Seifer sprinted down it, drawing Hyperion and yelling out for the speaker to call again; to tell him their location.  He rounded a bend in the tunnel, out of breath and looking frantically for the owner of the voice.

The stray miner called out again, "We're in M-tunnel! To the right! The right!"

Seifer ran forward a bit more, finding a path that branched to the right and following it.  The end came into view and so did his guide:  She was a middle-aged woman, slender and wounded, holding her bleeding stomach as she waved to him with her free arm.

"Oh, thank Hyne!" She stumbled forward to clasp his shoulder.  Seifer caught sight of a few others milling about in the room behind her.  "After Rosso, we didn't think anyone else would be coming for us!"  She hugged him around the middle, "Oh thank you! Thank you!"

Seifer had frozen the minute she had uttered the familiar name.  He yanked her away from him, holding her out at an arm's length.  "Begn? Where is he?" Seifer scanned the dirty faces behind her.  Rosso's wasn't among them.

"I don't know," the woman sobbed, wiping her snotty nose on a grimy sleeve.  "He—He took off after the others; told us to go back that way," she pointed to the path Seifer had just taken, "that there was a way out."  She shook her head.  "We tried; we did.  But…we were attacked…something… Oh, Hyne, something got Tanner," she sunk to her knees, shaking, and Seifer just let her cry, her face buried in bloodied hands.

A few of the other miners went to console her, but most averted their eyes, looking helplessly at their feet.  At the far end of the chamber Seifer saw another opening; the only possible route Begn could have taken.  He turned back to the other miners; he had to get them out first.

"We're leaving," he said sharply, his tone leaving no room for protest.  "I'll lead you to the opening but you have to find your way back from there."

"But…the monster…" one man stammered, standing up on quivering legs.

"I said we're leaving!" Seifer roared, causing most of the miners to flinch.  "Now move!"

Those that couldn't walk were carried by their uninjured friends as the tired procession made its ponderous, uneventful way through the tunnels.  Moans and sobs fractured the silence that hung like a veil over the mine, and the scuffle of feet against stone was a sad addition to the meager noise.

But they reached the opening unscathed and Seifer waited till all seven had gotten through before hurrying back the way he had come.

Some inexplicable part of his mind urged that he find Rosso.  Caught up in the rush of adrenalin and sense of impending danger, Seifer didn't think to question this; he merely acted, letting his long legs carry him through the endless tunnels.


End file.
